Oral Answers to Questions

Natascha Engel Excerpts

Tuesday 22nd November 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call Sajid Javid. Not here.

[Natascha Engel (North East Derbyshire) (Lab)]

8. What arrangements he has put in place to involve dental practitioners in the commissioning of dental services.

[The Minister of State, Department of Health (Paul Burstow)]

Responsibility for the commissioning of all dental services across primary, salaried and secondary care will sit with the NHS Commissioning Board. The vision for commissioning dental services sees dental local professional networks developing and delivering local service plans and quality improvement strategies across all dental services and providing clinical leadership and expertise at local level. This will enable dentists, working with commissioners and other local stakeholders, to ensure that all dental services are integrated and work together in the most efficient way.

[Natascha Engel]

I thank the Minister for that answer, but I still do not see why GPs are good enough to commission services locally, but dentists are not. Can he explain exactly how dentists are to be involved, in the same way as GPs are, in commissioning services locally?

[Paul Burstow]

I refer the hon. Lady to the answer that I just gave. The vision for commissioning dental services sees dental local professional networks developing and delivering local services and local quality improvement strategies. Beyond that, it involves local health and wellbeing boards working together closely, involving local clinicians through the networks that I referred to earlier. The answer is that local dental clinicians will be fully involved in the ways that I have just described.